It’s fun to open a fortune cookie to see what our fortune will be. Many times we get some inane fortune that says something like “you are a great person with a good personality”. However, every now and then we get one that hits home at just the right time that seems to speak just to us, and we hold on to it, both physically and mentally. We put it in our purse or wallet. We post it on a bulletin board at work or at home on the refrigerator. We hang on to it as if it were a message meant just for us from some unknown sage who has the ability to see into our future. Then we start looking for signs that the fortune is coming to pass…. Until we forget about it.
So why do we do this? My belief is we do it because s thing like a fortune in a fortune cookie makes us feel good for a time with the notion that something wonderful could happen because that particular fortune showed up at just the right moment.
Fortune Cookie
I had one of those fortunes appear the other day. The fortune cookie read “You will be traveling and coming into a fortune”. My first thought was “WOW!!! I am so ready for that”. My second thought was “who knows, it could happen”. The first part of the fortune is already true. I travel fairly regularly. The second part is what we all hope for. So (don’t laugh) I bought a lottery ticket with the numbers that were below the fortune (now I know you’re laughing).
When we (at least I do) think of coming into a fortune, we think of winning a lottery or inheriting a large sum of money from some unknown relative. Admit it, we (you know it’s true) even have plans as to how we would spend our 
winnings or windfall. The fact is the possibilities of either of these things happening is very remote, especially because many of us rarely buy a lottery ticket or have a long lost unknown relative. But we still wait for that miracle, wishing and hoping that it will come to pass…. and as soon as possible.
I believe we do this same thing in our daily lives by waiting, praying, wishing and hoping for something to magically appear before us to make our lives “all better”. Doesn’t that sound about right? Metaphorically speaking, we miss the part about buying the “lottery ticket” of working towards a goal we desire.
So what occurred to me was, just maybe, the true meaning of that fortune in the fortune cookie is that our journey in life leads to the good fortune of knowledge, friends and priceless experiences. This is where the true wealth lies and what we should draw from to finding our way to a happy, purposeful, and yes, a wealthy life that is rich with all the experiences we would miss by waiting. Working towards a goal isn’t as sexy or as easy. Waiting for something that will never happen is most certainly a fruitless endeavor.
There are two lessons here. The first lesson is don’t wait for something to happen to bring you good fortune. There is no sage out there who can tell you what the future holds. Don’t wait for something to magically reveal itself to you. It certainly won’t come from a fortune cookie. The journey to any new opportunity is often a circuitous route so buy a “lottery ticket” by taking action that moves towards something. That start of something is most often right in front of you, even if it is only to spend time on a favorite hobby, just get started. The second lesson is to look within yourself to find the gifts you possess and have gained from your life’s experiences and then find a way to use them. Aside from the ones you naturally possess, I see the remaining gifts as your reward for all the challenges you face and overcome, now and from your past experiences. You just never know where one of these hard earned gifts will take you unless you find a way to put them to good use.
So there you have it, all that from a fortune cookie. I am grateful for the gifts I have been given as well as the one I have gained and will continue to gain from my life’s experiences. I just need to keep looking for fun ways to use mine. Maybe I already am.
Life’s journey continues…
If you liked Fortune Cookie, check out Emotional Baggage, Tale Of Three Farmers and Road Trip, Cat, A Little Faith.
PS: What are some of your favorite stories? If you would like to write a guest post about an experience, we would love to hear from you.
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